Whistler, B.C., November 18, 2003 - Conditions for Opening Day at Whistler Blackcomb look to be excellent as 26 cm or 10 inches, of snow fell on the mountains overnight as measured at the bottom of the Catskinner Chair (elev. 1500m) on Blackcomb Mountain. Add this to the 40cm, or 16 inches of snow that fell over the weekend and Whistler Blackcomb has seen over two feet in the last four days, with more still to come. Locals and mountain staff are ecstatic over the recent snow, which turned the mountains white and even saw snow fall in Whistler Village. The Environment Canada Forecast is calling for daily snowfall through the rest of the week, with up to 35cm of new snow by Thursday.

Opening Day on Blackcomb Mountain is this Saturday, November 22, and Whistler Mountain opens on Thursday, November 27. Stuart Rempel, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Whistler Blackcomb is excited. "The conditions look good. Skiers and snowboarders are going to have a great time," said Rempel. "This may be one of the best opening days in the last few years and should lead into another great winter."

Snowmaking operations have been going at capacity since early November, laying down an excellent foundation of snow. After expanding reservoirs over the summer, Whistler Blackcomb snowmakers have been taking advantage of the extra snowmaking resources. In the last three weeks, over 47 million litres of water have been used to create on-mountain conditions that already surpass what was available on opening day last year.

For more information on opening day and snow conditions please call 1-800-766-0449 or visit us online at http://www.whistlerblackcomb.com. The snowphone report is now being updated daily. Beginning opening day it will be updated 4 times daily (at 6:00am, 7:30am, 11:00am and 3:00pm) and can be reached at 604.932.4211 (locally), 604.687.7507 (Vancouver), and 1.800.766.0449 (toll-free).